


Can I Please Put the Wool Back Over My Eyes Now?

by KitCat_Italica



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Because He Does His Damn Job, But Also Kind of Ignores Infinity War, But Also OneThousandPercentDone!Bucky, Get This Man A Drink, Humor, Loki being Loki, M/M, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Steve and Bucky are cute, Thor Reassembles the Avengers, happy!bucky, happy!steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-14 20:13:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15396519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KitCat_Italica/pseuds/KitCat_Italica
Summary: With the arrival of the Asgardian refugees, Earth is alerted to the looming threat of Thanos, bringing the fractured Avengers into a shaky alliance to prepare their world for his attack. But that’s not the pressing issue.The pressing issue is that Bucky has been trying to sneak some Asgardian booze. All. Day.But it keeps getting magically put out of his reach. Yeah, magically. Because Thor’s brother, Loki, is a sneaky little shit.So it seems that, at the end of the day, the only way for a super soldier to try getting buzzed for the first time in seventy-five years is to go up and ask the God of Mischief himself. And in the process, he learns some things about the gods that he really didn’t want to know.





	Can I Please Put the Wool Back Over My Eyes Now?

**Author's Note:**

> Let it be known that while I am a Thorki veteran, I am a Stucky virgin. So even though this is mostly humorous, I do still hope I haven't completely lost all grasp of their characters. Let me know how I did on that front, I would appreciate it greatly.
> 
> And I must also apologize profusely to those who got an author subscription alert email and thought I had updated my main story so quickly. This isn't it! But I'm working on the next chapter of that too, don't worry!
> 
> So whatever your reason is for being here, whether it's for Thorki, Stucky, or both, I hope you enjoy! :)

You’d think that after being brainwashed into a weapon by a secret fascist organization, and then mentally recalibrated by Princess Shuri to take those implanted protocols out of his head, minor annoyances would no longer register on Bucky’s radar in the grand scheme of things.

But you would be wrong.

You would also think that, after finding out a ship of Asgardian refugees had landed in Norway, Bucky would have kept his mind on the new mission of helping them prepare the Earth for a coming extraterrestrial attack.

But you would be wrong again.

You would even think that, considering the fractured Avengers had agreed to set aside their differences and listen to Thor’s requests for assistance in planning Earth’s defenses, and the fact that Tony Fucking Stark could still only look at him with an expression between murderous and constipated, there were more likely candidates for unsettling Bucky Barnes than his current tormentor.

Nope, dead wrong, pack your bags and go home, wrong, wrong, _wrong._

Today, throughout all the meetings and strategic planning sessions, interspersed with science lessons from Banner, Shuri, and Pym to remind everyone what their resources were, Bucky had had only one goal. He could think of nothing else since he and Steve had talked about it last night.

They’d been talking till they fell asleep (which often turned into Steve talking while Bucky stared into his baby-blue eyes because holy shit he’d missed the guy _so much_ and now they finally had _this_ again), and Steve had laughed gently at Bucky’s continued amazement at Asgardian technology. “Hasn’t living in Wakanda for two years desensitized you to advanced tech and the utopias that have them?”

Bucky had shrugged. “I don’t think anything could get me used to shit like this,” he’d said, looking around at the glowing lights embedded in the walls of their bedroom in New Asgard.

Steve had chuckled. “It is pretty great, isn’t it?” Then he’d given him The Look, which few were privy to but Bucky. It wasn’t the _Captain America Is Disappointed in Your Lack of Patriotism_ look, nor the _Rogers Is Mildly Annoyed with Your Bullshit, Tony_ look. It was the _Steve Just Had A Brilliant Idea That Could Totally Backfire on Us, But Too Bad Bucky I’m Gonna Tell You Anyway_ look.

And even Bucky couldn’t deny that his stomach got all warm and tingly whenever Steve gave him That Look. Even if it usually backfired on them.

“But you know what one of the greatest things is that the Asgardians brought to Earth?” Steve had asked.

Bucky had raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

Steve had grinned wider. “Their alcohol.”

Bucky had chuckled. “Is Captain America thinking of drinking a grownup drink? What would the patriots at home think if they saw their hero staggering home late at night?”

Steve had laughed, and playfully shoved Bucky’s shoulder. That clean-cut, Boy Scout, "Aw-Shucks-I-Couldn't-Possibly" image of Steve cultivated during the war was largely an invention of propaganda, and no one knew that better than Bucky.

“But seriously,” Bucky had said, “I’m sure it tastes great and all, but it can’t actually get us drunk.”

“You’d be surprised,” Steve had said. “Thor told me it was aged for a thousand years in some special barrel. It’s the only thing I’ve found that can still give me a buzz.”

And as he said that, he had reached under his pillow to produce a small flask of said alcohol. Bucky’s eyes had darted between it and Steve, weighing his options. “You’re sure about this? We’ve got some more briefings in the morning.”

“It’ll be fine,” Steve had said, “I’ll be sober by then.”

Bucky had smirked, only to realize his crucial error. 

Steve had said _I’ll_ be sober by then.

“Wait, no-!”

Too late. Steve had drained the entire flask, wiping his mouth with an exaggerated sigh. “Oh, that hit the spo-”

He couldn’t get the rest of his words out, as Bucky had started wrestling him into submission. Steve had let him, though there wasn’t much of a defense he could mount when he was laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe.

“I hate you,” Bucky had grumbled as he had pinned Steve down on the mattress. Impressive, considering he never wore his new prosthetic arm to bed, and had still successfully pinned down a two-armed Captain America.

Then again, it wasn’t like Steve hadn’t let himself be pinned. “Yeah, yeah,” he had laughed, “you have me completely convinced.”

“Shut up,” Bucky had muttered. But even as he did, he had still kissed Steve. He’d tasted like the sweet burn of the alcohol he’d just gulped down.

Well, if that was the only taste he could get that night, Bucky would take it.

But today, it was the first thought on Bucky’s mind. Somehow, using all his skills as a soldier and a secret operative, he was going to track down some more of that Asgardian liquor today and kiss Steve with it still on his breath. See how _he_ liked it.

Besides, after all Bucky had been through in the last seventy-five years, could anyone really blame him for wanting to get a little drunk?

xxx

However, as today had shown him, that was a task easier said than done. Hence Bucky’s supreme annoyance.

For one, although there was a fully-stocked bar in the lounge, and several bottles of various liquors in all their meeting rooms, they were usually reserved for an Asgardian woman who often hung around Thor. Bucky forgot her name. Brun-something. But wherever she went, she had a bottle in her hand, and it never stayed full for long.

Second, Bucky was actually supposed to be contributing to the cause of protecting the Earth. Protecting it from what exactly was still a mystery to him, as the information the Asgardians had was vague at best. But even though he didn’t understand this ‘Thanos’ enemy very well, he knew about wars and how to fight them. Which meant he could help, and therefore couldn’t be running off to find an unguarded bottle of booze in this fledgling futuristic kingdom.

But the third, and biggest, obstacle in his quest to get buzzed was not anything Bucky could have foreseen. And it made itself known when he thought he had this in the bag, which made the defeat sting even worse.

He’d found himself in a noon meeting with several different Asgardians, and drinks were being served. It was probably like water for them, or else they wouldn’t be having it at a meeting about the military capabilities of potential intergalactic allies should this Thanos character come knocking. The drink-pouring had notably skipped Bucky, T’Challa, Steve, and Tony, who were the four humans present at this meeting.

But still. It was closer to his goal than Bucky had been all morning. And the Asgardian next to him wasn’t paying too much attention to his drink. Bucky saw his chance, and he took it.

But just as he reached for the glass, it vanished in a shimmer of green light.

Bucky was shocked. Since Zola had given him the imitation super soldier serum, his enhanced neural activity meant he didn’t often have to pause to take in new information like this. But having an object _disappear_ before his eyes was something brand-new to him.

He heard a barely-suppressed snicker, and looked across the table to its source.

Oh. _That_ explained it.

It was Thor’s brother, the one Steve had warned him about. Specifically, he’d been warned that the guy should not be trusted, no matter what assurances Thor would give on the subject. Dr. Banner had been more equivocating, saying that “Well, it’s not that he’s not helping us out right now, but no no no, _definitely_ don’t trust him!” Which was kind of confusing, so Bucky had just resolved to have as few interactions with the guy as possible.

But here Loki was, purposely vanishing a drink Bucky had been about to pick up, for no apparent reason. And then quietly laughing about it like it was all a big joke. Which, if it had been Steve playing keep-away, yeah, it would be. But with this shifty guy whose last visit to Earth had been to subjugate and conquer it, apparently _on Thanos’s orders?_

Definitely a what-the-fuck moment. And definitely not a joke. At least, not to Bucky.

And it didn’t help that Loki was now just _staring_ at him. It reminded Bucky of the way a cat stares you down, deciding if you’re good for a chin scratch or its next meal. He was even more cat-like than T’Challa. At least you knew where you stood with the new King of Wakanda, friend or foe. Not so with Loki.

Bucky squinted at Loki, trying to give him the hint that he wasn’t someone you should provoke. Instead, Loki’s eyes narrowed, and his lips curled into a sneer. He didn’t look intimidated in the slightest.

Why was this guy messing with him? It was so unnecessary, and so _unsettling._

But, Bucky wasn’t going to show that to Loki. You don’t show weakness to guys like that. So, he looked away, refocusing on the meeting.

And the drink reappeared on the table.

Bucky’s eyes flew to it, then back to Loki’s. Loki was now giving him the barest hint of a smile, but all warmth in it was false. Bucky knew that.

So, as much as he wanted to take the drink, he refrained. Otherwise, Loki would just make it disappear again, and he would win. 

Bucky would have to find a drink somewhere else.

xxx

He didn’t find a drink all day. And not because there wasn’t ample opportunity, but because they kept fucking disappearing with that same eerie green light. Only to reappear once he’d left it alone.

And every time, Loki would either be in the room, entering the room, or just leaving it. Even if he wasn’t technically supposed to be there. And always with that stupid smirk on his face, aimed squarely at Bucky.

This was why Bucky was annoyed. Well, he’d been annoyed at first, but now he could count himself in the territory of _pissed off._

Which is why that evening, Bucky decided with a resounding mental cry of _fuck it_ to just go to the lounge and raid the bar without an ounce of shame.

And who did he find in the lounge once he got there? Not Wanda and Vision engaged in some quiet conversation. Not Tony, though that would have been awkward for a whole different reason. Not even that Asgardian woman who practically lived at the bar.

Nope. Loki. Pouring himself a goddamn _drink._

Bucky seriously considered just hightailing it out of there, because though it wouldn’t save face, it would be easier than engaging this unsettling man tonight. But before he could do so without being seen, Loki spoke.

“Hello, Sergeant Barnes.”

He didn’t even look over his shoulder as he said it, just kept focusing on pouring himself the drink. Again, unsettling. Almost creepy.

Well, no running now. And Bucky was still itching for that drink. So, he figured...what the hell. Fuck it.

“Can I have some of that?”

Loki shot him a glance over his shoulder, his green eyes almost luminous in the glow of the warm lights that Bucky still hadn’t figured out. Loki’s lips twitched, as if suppressing a smile.

Bucky kept a stony expression. He’d been the best poker player of the Howling Commandos, he knew how to school his features to neutrality. Even though he’d had no experience bluffing with a guy who called himself a god.

But Loki seemed to break first, and with a low hum under his breath, he held up the bottle of amber liquid and said, “By all means.”

Well, that was easier than he’d expected.

But as Bucky walked over to the bar, watching as Loki materialized another glass, he realized that Loki hadn’t lost any ground at all. He’d been _waiting_ to be asked.

What the hell was this guy’s angle here?

Bucky watched Loki pour. All the while, Loki just _looked_ at him with that unflinching, curious stare. He wasn’t giving anything up; he was keeping the focus on Bucky. And Bucky didn’t care for that at all. Not from someone like Loki, anyway.

So when Loki finished pouring, Bucky swiped the glass and took a large swig, trying to focus more on the prize than the man who’d given it. 

At least Steve had been right - this was good liquor. Much more of a kick than anything brewed on Earth. Bucky felt the beginning of its effects in his frontal lobe immediately. There was that pleasant buzz starting its warm tingle in his head, but nothing he couldn’t handle. 

He could only imagine what this stuff would do to a non-enhanced human. They’d be out before they could finish even this small glass.

The only thing that stopped him from commenting this out loud was the unsettling presence of the man beside him. Bucky could still feel the guy just _looking_ at him, and he still hadn’t moved to drink from his own glass.

The weirdness of the dynamic was soon too cloying in the air for Bucky to not fill it with something. “So…” he said, “...you’re Loki.”

He glanced out his eye corners to see what Loki would do. Loki gave a twitch of a grin. “Rogers told you about me, I presume.” He looked down at his glass, still with that grin. His next words came out almost biting. “And he was _flattering_ with his praise, I’m sure.”

“He said you can’t be trusted,” Bucky said in a flat tone.

Loki gave a single chuckle. “Rightfully so, I’m afraid,” he said, and finally downed a swallow of his own drink.

Well, at least the guy was forthcoming about that. But it didn’t make Bucky feel any better.

Especially with the way Loki swirled his drink around its glass, staring at it thoughtfully as he murmured, “But it appears your little world now has no choice.”

“Our little world is now keeping you and your people alive,” Bucky retorted. 

He was going to say more, too, warning Loki about biting the hand that literally fed him and other smooth shit like that, but Loki was quick to jump in. “Oh, they’re not my people. Not technically.” His fingers traced the rim of his glass with a delicate touch, as his eyes returned to Bucky’s with an edge of menace. “But we must all make certain allowances in the face of annihilation.”

Bucky scoffed. “And that’s what we should be doing with you, when you’ve just admitted you’re not on our side?”

“I said I cannot be trusted,” Loki replied in that silky voice. Smooth as the alcohol they’d just imbibed. “I never said I’m not on your side. Tell me, is your side aligned opposite Thanos’s will?” 

Bucky glowered at him. What sort of question was that? “Of course,” he said. He was proud that he hadn’t just growled it out.

Loki seemed to know that, the way he was looking at Bucky like he was seeing through his skin. He smiled. “Then it appears I am on your side.” 

But quick as blinking, his smile ended at his eyes. “For now.”

To his dying breath, Bucky would swear that his arm did not erupt in chills at those two words. God, this guy was a nightmare to talk to.

He took another drink, grateful he at least had that going for him as a result of this conversation.

“Was it Rogers for whom you lost your arm? Or was it nothing to do with him?”

Bucky glared at Loki before he could help himself. Loki was gesturing to his shoulder, and it just so happened that the one closest to Loki was the one with the vibranium prosthesis attached. 

Accompanying the gesture was Loki’s curious expression, though Bucky could see right through that innocent charade. Loki _knew_ it would get a rise out of him, and he just didn’t care. That was the point, even.

Still, Bucky didn’t stop himself from biting back. “Is it an Asgardian custom to make small talk by casually bringing up one of the worst days of a person’s life? Or is that just something _you_ do?”

Another one of those smug little chuckles from Loki. “Forgive me,” he said, his eyes dancing around Bucky’s face. “It appears I’ve struck a nerve.”

As if that wasn’t the goddamn point, searching for his buttons and pushing them, to see what kind of fireworks would be unleashed.

“I’m used to it,” Bucky muttered. Though he was trying to brush it off, it wasn’t untrue. Fortunately, Princess Shuri had removed his most dangerous mental buttons so he couldn’t hurt anyone against his will. Although the way Loki was pushing his luck tonight, what might happen next wouldn’t be against Bucky’s will at all.

“And how is that?” Loki asked. But he didn’t even wait three seconds for a reply before he started speculating. “Is it because you grew up with a large blond friend who doesn’t know which fights to walk away from?”

At the mention of Steve, Bucky slammed his fist down on the bar between their drinks. And it was his prosthetic fist, so not only did it slosh some of their drinks over the rims of their glasses, it left a sizeable dent in the bar. 

Loki didn’t even flinch. Almost like he’d been expecting such a reaction. 

Now Bucky’s glare was turning decidedly less un-murderous. “What would you know about it?” he uttered.

Loki’s cool gaze flitted about his features. But it wasn’t unnerving to Bucky anymore; he’d already been plenty unnerved. He waited, _praying_ for Loki to give him an excuse to punch his lights out.

But Loki’s quiet words caught him off-guard again. “More than you might expect.”

Bucky didn’t understand what he was getting at, not at first. But once it sank in a few seconds later, he felt everything diffuse from him. 

_Large blond friend, who doesn’t know which fights to walk away from. Who he grew up with._

Oh. Of course.

Loki raised his eyebrows, as if to say _see?_

But Bucky didn’t feel like he and Loki had any common ground in this. Nor was he seeking it. After all, from what he’d heard from Steve, Loki’s relationship to Thor was…complicated. They were brothers, so it came with the territory. Add in living for thousands of years, each having magical powers, and being raised as royalty even though one was secretly adopted from another planet and…

…yeah, complicated.

But while Bucky and Steve were not as straightforward themselves, there was also the fact that he and Steve were not just friends. A fact that was sort of an open secret among the Avengers by now (you don’t risk your life and break international law for someone who’s just a _really good friend_ ), though maybe Loki wasn’t aware of the full nature of their relationship.

And maybe, just maybe, Bucky really wanted to know more than Loki about something in this conversation.

“Look,” he said, “I don’t think…whatever you and Thor have going on is…exactly like what Steve and-”

“You coming up soon, Buck?”

Bucky looked up to the mezzanine in the lounge, where Steve was standing, having emerged from the hallway that led to the guest bedrooms. Including the bedroom Bucky had shared with Steve during their entire stay here.

Steve was looking at him with that same expression they’d shared when captured in enemy territory during the war. Engaging in that silent communication only they could understand, having made a study of each other since childhood.

And now, Steve’s silent question to him was, _Do you need a way out of this?_

Thank God for Steven Grant Rogers.

But, Bucky didn’t feel that this conversation with Loki was completely out of his control anymore. He’d rather have the last word with the guy before heading up to bed. So, he replied to Steve verbally, “In a minute.” And nonverbally, _I’ll let you know if I need it._

Steve gave a tight nod, and his eyes flitted to Loki for half a second before returning to Bucky. _You’d better,_ his eyes seemed to say. Bucky raised his eyebrows in the affirmative, and Steve left.

Bucky could feel Loki’s eyes back on him, and when he returned the eye contact, he found Loki looking at him out his eye corners with a thoughtful expression. Apparently, this had either confirmed a suspicion he’d had about Bucky and Steve, or it was news to his ears. Either way, Bucky could see that he understood the dynamic as more than friendship.

“See what I mean?” Bucky asked. “Not quite like you and Thor.”

But Loki didn’t give any indication that he conceded the point. His eyes narrowed on Bucky’s, before looking down to his drink and muttering, “You’d be surprised.”

He took a pull from his drink, and as he did, his words finally landed on Bucky.

“Wait, _what?”_

Loki winced. He hadn’t been doing so from the alcohol up to this point. His gaze stuttered as it met Bucky’s for half a second, before he started to head behind the bar for another bottle of liquor.

In doing so, he turned his back to Bucky. But it looked like he wasn’t doing it because he was comfortable in his position. Not anymore. In fact, it looked like quite the opposite.

Bucky, meanwhile, was near-spluttering where he stood. Had…had Loki seriously implied just what he thought he’d heard him imply? That he and Thor were…he and his _brother_ …

“You’re brothers!” he ended up saying.

“Adopted,” came the curt reply, still with his back turned. He started pouring himself another drink.

Okay, he _was_ implying exactly what Bucky had heard. But Bucky couldn’t wrap his head around that. Especially if the excuse was that ‘it’s okay, we’re not really related!’

“That doesn’t make it any better,” he said aloud. “You were raised together-”

“And what about your Egyptian pharaohs?” Loki retorted, all lightness in his tone having vanished three seconds ago. He turned back to face Bucky again, with a menacing glare like a cat about to pounce. “Or your Habsburg monarchs? Wedding brother to sister, uncle to niece, to keep bloodlines pure and preserve their god-given rights to rule?” He cocked his head. “What does that tell you about the will of the gods?” 

With that, he took a swig of his drink. Bucky just gaped at him, astounded that this guy could still call himself a god after just admitting to _incest,_ and that he could somehow justify committing said incest. There was no reasoning with a man like this.

Bucky scoffed. “Look, whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“No, it’s whatever helps _you_ sleep at night,” Loki snapped. Here was the monster now, as everything in the lines of his frame and the angles of his face _dripped_ with menace. “You can say we’re adopted, or we’re royalty, or we’re alien lifeforms who live for thousands of years by different rules your mortal mind could never comprehend. Use whatever justification you need to tell yourself for you to accept it, because the truth of the matter is: _I. Don’t. Care._ ”

A smile broke through then, but it was as joyless as shattered glass, and twice as sharp. “And neither does Thor,” he said. “The only reason that really matters here is that we _enjoy_ it. We have for centuries.” His eyes started to soften marginally, and left Bucky’s for a second. “We loved each other for centuries,” he said, so quiet Bucky could barely hear him. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to.

Loki turned his back again, returning the alcohol to its shelf. Bucky watched him, picking up on the one word that he thought might get one over on Loki. “‘Loved’?” he asked, putting emphasis on the last consonant to make his point known.

Because if anything was clear about what Loki had just said (and a lot was left very, very unclear), as well as what Bucky had seen and heard about Thor and Loki, it was that whatever form their love took, it was definitely not in the past tense.

Loki must have gotten his point, for he shot Bucky a withering look. “Don’t you start, now,” he warned. The way he said it, it was as if it wasn’t the first time someone had pointed out that he must still love Thor. If Bucky were to guess from Loki’s tone, it was Thor himself involved in that particular debate, and it had been going on for some time.

Perfect. Now he’d struck a nerve with Loki, making them even. 

As Loki turned his back again to polish off his drink, Bucky couldn’t help but ask one more thing: “Do the others know?”

“The other Avengers?” Loki asked, not bothering to turn around. “Heavens, no. Thor might be a fool, but even he knows it would not be well-received. You are the only one.”

Bucky wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Especially with the way Loki suddenly turned around, and leaned over the bar an inch from his face. “So, if the others _do_ find out,” he uttered, “I’ll know who told them.”

Bucky got the point loud and clear. And the point wasn’t just that Loki was right now threatening him. It was that, by holding such carefully-guarded information about him, Bucky was now just as threatening to Loki, enough to be worth one of Loki's threats. And Bucky didn’t even have to say anything.

He just nodded, not backing down. He didn’t need to.

Loki seemed satisfied enough, for he withdrew from the threatening closeness an inch or two. “Goodnight, Sergeant Barnes,” he said, some of the velvet lightness returning to his voice. “Best not keep your Captain waiting.”

And with that, he slunk off into the night, thus ending one of the weirdest conversations Bucky had ever had.

So, what did Bucky do in the wake of being threatened by the God of Mischief? 

What any self-respecting man would do: he poured himself another drink.

xxx

A few drinks later, Bucky felt pleasantly buzzed enough, and turned in for the night. He found Steve lying on their bed, one leg crossed over the other, doodling in his sketchbook. He met Bucky with a small smile. “Hey.”

“Hey,” said Bucky. He rolled his left shoulder to limber it up. No matter how advanced Wakandan tech was, even the most carefully-designed prosthesis would cause some discomfort after a while. This was even one of the more lightweight models, meant for everyday wear rather than battle.

Bucky still preferred to go without one when he could. Those who really mattered didn’t mind it, and Steve was chief among them.

“Did you get that drink you were after?” Steve asked.

Bucky chuckled. “Yeah. No thanks to your little stunt last night, you punk.” He peeled off his shirt and flung it on the dresser, eager to get his prosthesis off.

“How was talking to Loki?”

Bucky paused, and shot Steve a look of _seriously?_ Steve returned it with an amused grin, looking like he might burst out laughing at any moment.

Bucky was the one who laughed first, but it was decidedly more bewildered than Steve’s as he thought back on the whole conversation, the whole _day_ spent interacting with Loki. All he’d set out to do was find a damn drink, and he’d ended up getting caught in a mind game with a morally-questionable maybe-immortal alien prince. 

He rolled his eyes up to the ceiling at the absurdity that was his life. “Asgardians are weird, man.”

Steve was still giggling. “Thor’s not so bad,” he said. “I think you just started with the weirdest guy Asgard has to offer.”

Bucky sighed as he sat down on the bed and started removing his prosthesis. “I should hope so.”

Yeah, that was an understatement. Especially considering what Loki had (accidentally?) revealed about him and Thor. He _hoped_ Asgardians weren’t all as weird as that.

Even if it wasn’t morally equivalent to how humans viewed incest, for the justifications Loki had listed. It didn’t change the fact that Loki was still a weird guy.

But, when Bucky and Steve were growing up, had they made their love public knowlege, _they_ would have been met with disgust, and probably even open hostility. So who was Bucky to cast judgment on someone else’s love?

Even if that someone was, well, Loki. 

“You alright?”

Bucky smiled absently at Steve’s question. Even in his amusement, Steve was still concerned for him. He nodded. “Yeah, just a long day. And it ended with talking to the weirdest Asgardian of them all, so…yeah.”

He rose to put his prosthesis on its stand on top of their dresser. He could still feel Steve’s eyes on him, but that was infinitely preferable to Loki’s. 

“What did he tell you?”

Shit. He knew he was bad at lying to Steve, and Steve did have experience with Loki literally getting in people’s heads, but Bucky hadn’t thought he was being that obvious.

Now, he hadn’t outright told Loki that he _wouldn’t_ tell someone, just that he understood that Loki would know it was him if he got wind of it. But seeing as this somehow gave him power over Loki - a fact Loki would be abundantly aware of - Bucky wasn’t really scared of any consequences.

Besides, he and Steve weren’t in the habit of keeping things from each other. They could talk about whether it was wise to tell others about this, or if it would be better to just bring it up with Thor directly, to get his (hopefully saner) take on it all. But at some point, he knew he would tell Steve. That was a given.

But, he didn’t feel like having that conversation tonight. He was tired, and a little drunk for the first time since 1943. So, he said, “I’ll tell you in the morning. I’ve had enough weirdness for one day.”

Steve chuckled. “Okay, fair enough.”


End file.
